U.S. swaps 5 detainees for soldier

Sunday

Jun 1, 2014 at 12:01 AMJun 1, 2014 at 1:23 PM

WASHINGTON - The last U.S. prisoner of war from America's Afghan war was handed over to U.S. special-operations forces in Afghanistan yesterday in a dramatic swap for five Taliban detainees who were released from Guantanamo Bay prison and flown to Qatar.

WASHINGTON — The last U.S. prisoner of war from America’s Afghan war was handed over to U.S. special-operations forces in Afghanistan yesterday in a dramatic swap for five Taliban detainees who were released from Guantanamo Bay prison and flown to Qatar.

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl had been held for nearly five years by Afghan militants, and his release followed years of on-and-off negotiations.

President Barack Obama hailed the release in a brief appearance with Bergdahl’s parents, Bob and Jani, in the White House Rose Garden, saying that “while Bowe was gone, he was never forgotten."

“The United States of America does not ever leave our men and women in uniform behind,” Obama said.

Bergdahl was on his way to an American military hospital in Germany, a U.S. defense official said.

U.S. special-operations forces took custody of Bergdahl in a nonviolent exchange with 18 Taliban members in eastern Afghanistan, senior U.S. officials said, adding that he was in good condition and able to walk. Before leaving for Germany, he received medical care at Bagram Air Base, the main U.S. base in Afghanistan.

Bergdahl, 28, was handed over about 6 p.m. local time yesterday, a senior official said. The U.S. forces, who had flown in by helicopter, were on the ground briefly, said the officials, who would not specify the precise location of the hand-over.

“Once he was on the helicopter, he wrote on a paper plate, ‘SF?’??” an official said, referring to the abbreviation for special forces.

“The operators replied loudly: ‘Yes, we’ve been looking for you for a long time.’ And at this point, Sgt. Bergdahl broke down.”

Hours later, a second U.S. defense official said the five Taliban detainees, now in Qatari custody, had left the Guantanamo prison. They were aboard a U.S. military C-17 aircraft and en route to the Gulf emirate.

Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, is believed to have been held by the Haqqani network since June 30, 2009, when he was captured under unknown circumstances. Haqqani operates in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region and has been one of the deadliest threats to U.S. troops.

Bergdahl’s recovery after long years in captivity could be difficult. At the White House, Bergdahl’s father said his son was having difficulty speaking English. He asked for patience from the media as the family helped him readjust.

An official said Bergdahl was tentatively scheduled to go to the San Antonio Military Medical Center, where he would be reunited with his family. The military was working yesterday to connect Bergdahl with his family over the telephone or by video conference.

The U.S. believes Bergdahl was held for most of his captivity in Pakistan. Officials said it was not clear when he was taken to eastern Afghanistan.

The circumstances surrounding Bergdahl’s capture remain something of a mystery. There has been some speculation that he willingly walked away from his unit, raising the question of whether he could be charged with being absent without leave or desertion. A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press yesterday that the Army would make the decision on any charges but that the feeling at the moment was that Bergdahl had suffered enough in his ordeal.

The U.S. has long been seeking Bergdahl’s release, but there was renewed interest in his release as Obama completed plans to pull nearly all American combat forces out of Afghanistan by the end of 2016.

But some members of Congress expressed concern previously over the potential release of the five Taliban detainees, particularly Mohammed Fazl, held at Guantanamo since early 2002. Fazl is alleged to be responsible for the killing of thousands of Afghanistan’s minority Shiite Muslims.

While welcoming Bergdahl’s release, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., the chairman of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, said: “I am extremely troubled, however, that the United States negotiated with terrorists and agreed to swap five senior Taliban leaders who are responsible for the deaths of many Americans.”

U.S. officials referred to the release of the Taliban detainees as a transfer and noted they would be subject to certain restrictions in Qatar, including a minimum one-year ban on traveling outside of Qatar.

Rogers said he had “little confidence” in such assurances.

Under U.S. law, the Obama administration is supposed to notify Congress 30 days in advance of the transfer of any Guantanamo detainee. In this case, a U.S. official said such notification was made yesterday after Bergdahl was in U.S. custody — a move that angered some lawmakers.

Information from the Associated Press was included in this story.

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